Lauderdale-by-the-Sea sinkhole

Amy Beth Bennett / Sun Sentinel

A "large cavern" that forced a stretch of State Road A1A to be closed for emergency repairs in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea isn't a sinkhole after all, officials say. The hole, estimated to be five feet in diameter and five feet deep, was caused by a leaky storm pipe, according to Steve D¿Oliveira, spokesman for the town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The state Department of Transportation was scheduled to patch a small section of A1A at Datura Avenue at 3 a.m. Friday, D¿Oliveira said. But when the asphalt was removed, workers found the cavern under the road, prompting a much-longer-than-expected repair time, D¿Oliveira said. Crews are expected to be done with repairs, a few blocks south of Commercial Boulevard on A1A, by Friday afternoon. Until then, the road at Hibiscus Avenue has been closed in both directions.

A "large cavern" that forced a stretch of State Road A1A to be closed for emergency repairs in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea isn't a sinkhole after all, officials say. The hole, estimated to be five feet in diameter and five feet deep, was caused by a leaky storm pipe, according to Steve D¿Oliveira, spokesman for the town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The state Department of Transportation was scheduled to patch a small section of A1A at Datura Avenue at 3 a.m. Friday, D¿Oliveira said. But when the asphalt was removed, workers found the cavern under the road, prompting a much-longer-than-expected repair time, D¿Oliveira said. Crews are expected to be done with repairs, a few blocks south of Commercial Boulevard on A1A, by Friday afternoon. Until then, the road at Hibiscus Avenue has been closed in both directions.